Communication method, in-vehicle communication device, computer-readable medium, and in-vehicle communication system

ABSTRACT

There is provided a communication method in which an in-vehicle communication device transmits data to a server. The communication method includes: transmitting the data from the in-vehicle communication device to the server when a first communication link between the in-vehicle communication device and the server is established; transmitting the data from the in-vehicle communication device to a relay device different from the server when the first communication link is not established; temporarily storing the data received from the in-vehicle communication device in the relay device when a third communication link between the relay device and the server is not established; and transmitting the temporarily stored data from the relay device to the server through the third communication link when the third communication link is established and the temporarily stored data is present in the relay device.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/179,844, filed Nov. 2, 2018, which claims the disclosure of JapanesePatent Application No. 2017-215608 filed on Nov. 8, 2017 including thespecification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to a communication method, an in-vehiclecommunication device, a computer-readable medium, and an in-vehiclecommunication system.

2. Description of Related Art

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-005151 (JP2013-005151 A) has proposed a technique for determining whether a carnavigation device itself becomes an executing entity that communicateswith a communication center or a portable terminal becomes the executingentity that communicates with the communication center from theviewpoint of a communication speed, a communication fee, or the like, inresponse to a request from an application. In a case where the carnavigation device becomes the executing entity that communicates withthe communication center, the car navigation device transfers acommunication request to a communication processing execution unit inthe car navigation device itself. In a case where the portable terminalbecomes the executing entity that communicates with the communicationcenter, the car navigation device transfers the communication request tothe portable terminal.

SUMMARY

However, in the technique disclosed in JP 2013-005151 A, whencommunication is interrupted for some reason while the car navigationdevice is executing communication processing with the communicationcenter as the executing entity of the communication processing, theportable terminal cannot take over the communication with thecommunication center. In the above case, the portable terminal that cantake over the communication with the communication center isparticularly useful in a single sign-on system or the like in which datasynchronization is needed.

The disclosure provides a communication method useful for datasynchronization.

A first aspect of the disclosure relates to a communication method inwhich an in-vehicle communication device transmits data to a server. Thecommunication method includes: transmitting the data from the in-vehiclecommunication device to the server through a first communication linkwhen the first communication link between the in-vehicle communicationdevice and the server is established; transmitting the data from thein-vehicle communication device to a relay device different from theserver through a second communication link different from the firstcommunication link when the first communication link is not established;temporarily storing the data received from the in-vehicle communicationdevice in the relay device when a third communication link between therelay device and the server is not established; and transmitting thetemporarily stored data from the relay device to the server through thethird communication link when the third communication link isestablished and the temporarily stored data is present in the relaydevice.

In the communication method according to the first aspect of thedisclosure, the relay device may be a mobile communication terminal thatperforms mobile communication with the server.

The communication method according to the first aspect of the disclosuremay further include determining whether or not the data received by theserver from the in-vehicle communication device includes unreceiveddata, which is data that has not been received by the relay device fromthe in-vehicle communication device, and transmitting the unreceiveddata from the server to the relay device when the unreceived data ispresent and the third communication link is established.

A second aspect of the disclosure relates to an in-vehicle communicationdevice that transmits data to a server. The in-vehicle communicationdevice includes a transmission unit. The transmission unit is configuredto transmit the data to the server through a first communication linkwhen the first communication link between the in-vehicle communicationdevice and the server is established, and transmit the data to a relaydevice different from the server through a second communication linkdifferent from the first communication link when the first communicationlink is not established. The relay device is configured to temporarilystore the data received from the in-vehicle communication device when athird communication link between the relay device and the server is notestablished. The relay device is configured to transmit the temporarilystored data to the server through the third communication link when thethird communication link is established and the temporarily stored datais present in the relay device.

A third aspect of the disclosure relates to a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to executea process. The process includes: transmitting data from an in-vehiclecommunication device to a server through a first communication link whenthe first communication link between the in-vehicle communication deviceand the server is established; and transmitting the data from thein-vehicle communication device to a relay device different from theserver through a second communication link different from the firstcommunication link when the first communication link is not established.The process includes: temporarily storing, by the relay device, the datareceived from the in-vehicle communication device when a thirdcommunication link between the relay device and the server is notestablished, and transmitting, by the relay device, the temporarilystored data to the server through the third communication link when thethird communication link is established and the temporarily stored datais present in the relay device.

A fourth aspect of the disclosure relates to an in-vehicle communicationsystem. The in-vehicle communication system includes: an in-vehiclecommunication device; a server configured to communicate with thein-vehicle communication device; and a relay device configured tocommunicate with the in-vehicle communication device and the server. Thein-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit data to theserver through a first communication link when the first communicationlink between the in-vehicle communication device and the server isestablished, and transmit the data to the relay device different fromthe server through a second communication link different from the firstcommunication link when the first communication link is not established.The relay device is configured to temporarily store the data receivedfrom the in-vehicle communication device when a third communication linkbetween the relay device and the server is not established, and transmitthe temporarily stored data to the server through the thirdcommunication link when the third communication link is established andthe temporarily stored data is present in the relay device.

The communication method according to the aspects of the disclosure isuseful for data synchronization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denotelike elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a schematicconfiguration of a communication system according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematicconfiguration of the communication system according to the embodiment ofthe disclosure; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating flow of processing in a communicationmethod according to the embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the disclosure will be described below with referenceto the drawings. Here, the same reference numerals denote the samecomponents, and duplicate description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 1 isa hardware configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configurationof a communication system 100 according to the embodiment of thedisclosure. The communication system 100 includes three informationcommunication devices 10, 20, 30, and the communication system 100synchronizes data through communication between the three informationcommunication devices 10, 20, 30 to share the latest data. Theinformation communication devices 10, 20, 30 are computers having acommunication function of data communication with each other. At leastone of the three information communication devices 10, 20, 30 is capableof mobile communication. In the embodiment, a case where the number ofinformation communication devices constituting the communication system100 is three is exemplified, but the number of information communicationdevices constituting the communication system 100 may be four or more.

In the embodiment, a case where the information communication devices10, 20, 30 are respectively an in-vehicle communication device, aserver, and a relay device will be exemplified. Here, the in-vehiclecommunication device is, for example, a car navigation device thatguides a movement route of a vehicle, and is capable of the mobilecommunication. The server is, for example, a host computer that managesmovement records of a plurality of vehicles and that provides trafficinformation to the vehicles. The relay device is, for example, a mobilecommunication terminal capable of the mobile communication with theserver. The mobile communication terminal is, for example, a portableterminal (for example, a multifunctional mobile phone referred to as asmartphone or a tablet terminal) of an occupant (for example, a driver)of the vehicle. For example, the occupant of the vehicle can receive aservice provided by synchronized data from any of the informationcommunication devices 10, 20, 30 through an authentication procedurereferred to as single sign-on using identification information and apassword associated with the occupant of the vehicle. The communicationsystem 100 may have a function referred to as an agent, for example. Theagent can virtually transfer between the information communicationdevices 10, 20, 30. For example, when the occupant of the vehicle isusing the information communication device 30 (for example, manipulatingthe smartphone), the agent provides a user interface function to theoccupant of the vehicle by transferring to the information communicationdevice 30. When the occupant of the vehicle is using the informationcommunication device 10 (for example, manipulating the car navigationdevice), the agent provides the occupant of the vehicle with the userinterface function by transferring to the information communicationdevice 10.

The information communication device 10 includes a communication device11, a processor 12, and a memory resource 13 as hardware resources. Acommunication program referred to as a data manager 14 and data 15scheduled to be synchronized between the information communicationdevices 10, 20, 30 are stored in the memory resource 13. The data 15 isprobe data that carries information (for example, positional informationand speed information of the vehicle, and time information) related tothe movement record of the vehicle on which the informationcommunication device 10, which is the in-vehicle communication device,is mounted. The data 15 may be, for example, information (for example,information related to a charging amount of an in-vehicle storagebattery) indicating states of auxiliary devices of the vehicle on whichthe information communication device 10, which is the in-vehiclecommunication device, is mounted. A command for instructing theprocessor 12 to execute communication processing for synchronizing thedata 15 between the information communication devices 10, 20, 30 isdescribed in the data manager 14. The processor 12 transmits the data 15to the information communication devices 20, 30 through thecommunication device 11 by interpreting and executing the data manager14 to synchronize the data 15 between the information communicationdevices 10, 20, 30. A timing of synchronizing the data 15 may be, forexample, set by an interval of a predetermined constant period or atiming at which a predetermined event occurs. In a case where the data15 is the probe data, it is desirable to share the latest probe databetween the information communication devices 10, 20, 30 bysynchronizing the data 15 at the interval of the constant period. Thecommunication device 11 is connected to the information communicationdevice 20 through a mobile communication line, for example, and isconnected to the information communication device 30 through ashort-range wireless communication line (for example, Bluetooth(registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark)).

The information communication device 20 includes a communication device21, a processor 22, and a memory resource 23 as hardware resources. Acommunication program referred to as a data manager 24 and data 25scheduled to be synchronized between the information communicationdevices 10, 20, 30 are stored in the memory resource 23. The data 25 is,for example, traffic information provided from the informationcommunication device 20 which is the server. A command for instructingthe processor 22 to execute communication processing for synchronizingthe data 25 between the information communication devices 10, 20, 30 isdescribed in the data manager 24. The processor 22 transmits the data 25to the information communication devices 10, 30 through thecommunication device 21 by interpreting and executing the data manager24 to synchronize the data 25 between the information communicationdevices 10, 20, 30. A timing of synchronizing the data 25 may be, forexample, set by an interval of a predetermined constant period or atiming at which a predetermined event occurs. The communication device21 is connected to the information communication devices 10, 30 throughthe mobile communication line, for example. The informationcommunication device 20 receives and accumulates the data 15 and data 35transmitted from the information communication devices 10, 30respectively and analyzes the data 15, 35 through machine learning, andthus the information communication device 20 can play a role ofproviding the service to the occupant of the vehicle.

The information communication device 30 includes a communication device31, a processor 32, and a memory resource 33 as hardware resources. Acommunication program referred to as a data manager 34 and the data 35scheduled to be synchronized between the information communicationdevices 10, 20, 30 are stored in the memory resource 33. The data 35 is,for example, positional information of the information communicationdevice 30. The data 35 may be information (for example, scheduleinformation of the occupant of the vehicle) input from the occupant ofthe vehicle to an application program installed in the informationcommunication device 30. A command for instructing the processor 32 toexecute communication processing for synchronizing the data 35 betweenthe information communication devices 10, 20, 30 is described in thedata manager 34. The processor 32 transmits the data 35 to theinformation communication devices 10, 20 through the communicationdevice 31 by interpreting and executing the data manager 34 tosynchronize the data 35 between the information communication devices10, 20, 30. A timing of synchronizing the data 35 may be, for example,set by an interval of a predetermined constant period or a timing atwhich a predetermined event occurs. The communication device 31 isconnected to the information communication device 10 through theshort-range wireless communication line (for example, Bluetooth(registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), for example,and is connected to the information communication device 20 through themobile communication line.

The memory resources 13, 23, 33 are storage areas (logical devices)provided by a computer-readable recording medium (a physical device).The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a storage devicesuch as a semiconductor memory (a volatile memory or a nonvolatilememory) or a disk medium.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematicconfiguration of the communication system 100 according to theembodiment of the disclosure. The information communication device 10functions as a transmission unit 16, a reception unit 17, and a cacheunit 18 by cooperation of the hardware resource and the data manager 14.The information communication device 20 functions as a transmission unit26, a reception unit 27, and a cache unit 28 by cooperation of thehardware resource and the data manager 24. The information communicationdevice 30 functions as a transmission unit 36, a reception unit 37, anda cache unit 38 by cooperation of the hardware resource and the datamanager 34. According to the commands described in the data managers 14,24, 34, respectively, the transmission units 16, 26, 36 transmit thedata such that data synchronization is established between theinformation communication devices 10, 20, 30. According to the commandsdescribed in the data managers 14, 24, 34, respectively, the receptionunits 17, 27, 37 receive the data such that the data synchronization isestablished between the information communication devices 10, 20, 30.According to the commands described in the data managers 14, 24, 34,respectively, the cache units 18, 28, 38 temporarily store the data suchthat the data synchronization is established between the informationcommunication devices 10, 20, 30.

When one of the three information communication devices 10, 20, 30operates as a data transmission source, the remaining two informationcommunication devices operate as data transmission destinations. Here,under a condition that the information communication device 10 operatesas the data transmission source, the information communication device 20operates as a first data transmission destination, and the informationcommunication device 30 operates as a second data transmissiondestination, flow of the processing for synchronizing the data 15 willbe described. For convenience of description, a communication linkestablished between the information communication devices 10, 20 isreferred to as a first communication link. A communication linkestablished between the information communication devices 10, 30 isreferred to as a second communication link. A communication linkestablished between the information communication devices 20, 30 isreferred to as a third communication link. The information communicationdevice 10 transmits the data 15 to the information communication device20 through the first communication link when the first communicationlink is established. When the vehicle on which the informationcommunication device 10, which is the in-vehicle communication device,is mounted moves to a place where radio wave reception sensitivity isnot good (for example, an indoor facility such as an underground parkinglot), a situation where the first communication link between theinformation communication devices 10, 20 is temporarily lost may occur.Even in the situation as described above, when the distance between theinformation communication devices 10, 30 is within a range at whichshort-range wireless communication is possible (for example, when theinformation communication device 30 is carried by the occupant of thevehicle), the second communication link between the informationcommunication devices 10, 30 can be established. The transmission unit16 of the information communication device 10 reads the temporarilystored data 15 in the cache unit 18, transmits the data 15 to theinformation communication device 30, and notifies the informationcommunication device 30 that the first communication link between theinformation communication devices 10, 20 is temporarily lost. Thereception unit 37 of the information communication device 30 receivesthe data 15 from the information communication device 10 and temporarilystores the data 15 in the cache unit 38. Based on the notification fromthe information communication device 10, the information communicationdevice 30 grasps that the first communication link between theinformation communication devices 10, 20 is temporarily lost. When thetemporarily stored data 15 is present in the cache unit 38, theinformation communication device 30, taking a role of a datatransmission source, tries to execute processing for transmitting thetemporarily stored data 15 to the information communication device 20.For example, the information communication device 30 moves to a positionwhere the third communication link between the information communicationdevices 20, 30 can be established (for example, the occupant carryingthe information communication device 30 goes outdoors from the indoorfacility such as the underground parking lot) and, accordingly, when thethird communication link between the information communication devices20, 30 is established, the transmission unit 36 of the informationcommunication device 30, taking the role of the data transmissionsource, transmits the data 15 to the information communication device20. The reception unit 27 of the information communication device 20receives the data 15 from the information communication device 30 andtemporarily stores the data 15 in the cache unit 28.

As described above, when the information communication devices 10, 20,30 fall into a situation in which the communication link with any ofinformation communication devices is temporarily lost, each of theinformation communication devices 10, 20, 30 notifies the otherinformation communication devices with which the communication link isestablished that the above situation has occurred. The informationcommunication device that has received the notification as describedabove, taking the role of the data transmission source, tries totransmit the data to the data transmission destination. The informationcommunication device capable of the mobile communication, by changingthe position of the information communication device itself, canestablish the communication with the information communication device,which is the data transmission destination and taking the role of thedata transmission source, and transmit the data to the data transmissiondestination.

A determination may be made whether the data received by the informationcommunication device 20 from the information communication device 10includes unreceived data, which is data that has not been received bythe information communication device 30 from the informationcommunication device 10, and when the unreceived data is present and thethird communication link is established, the information communicationdevice 20 may transmit the unreceived data to the informationcommunication device 30. Accordingly, the data can be synchronizedbetween the information communication devices 10, 20, 30. Theinformation communication device 10 may not establish the secondcommunication link when the first communication link is established. Theinformation communication device 30 may not establish the thirdcommunication link when the second communication link is established.

When the information communication device 10 needs to synchronize thedata 15, the information communication device 10 may establish the firstor second communication link and when the information communicationdevice 10 does not need to synchronize the data 15, the informationcommunication device 10 may not establish the first or secondcommunication link. When the information communication device 20 needsto synchronize the data 25, the information communication device 20 mayestablish the first or third communication link and when the informationcommunication device 20 does not need to synchronize the data 25, theinformation communication device 20 may not establish the first or thirdcommunication link. When the information communication device 30 needsto synchronize the data 35, the information communication device 30 mayestablish the second or third communication link and when theinformation communication device 30 does not need to synchronize thedata 35, the information communication device 30 may not establish thesecond or third communication link.

The information communication device 20 may operate as the datatransmission source, the information communication device 30 may operateas a first data transmission destination, and the informationcommunication device 10 may operate as the second data transmissiondestination. For example, in a situation where the third communicationlink between the information communication devices 20, 30 is temporarilylost, the information communication device 10, which is the second datatransmission destination, receives the data 25 from the informationcommunication device 20, which is the data transmission source. Theinformation communication device 30 moves to a position where the secondcommunication link between the information communication devices 10, 30can be established, and accordingly, when the second communication linkbetween the information communication devices 10, 30 is established, theinformation communication device 10, taking the role of the datatransmission source, transmits the data 25 to the informationcommunication device 30. Alternatively, the information communicationdevice 30 may operate as the data transmission source, the informationcommunication device 10 may operate as a first data transmissiondestination, and the information communication device 20 may operate asthe second data transmission destination.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating flow of processing in a communicationmethod according to the embodiment of the disclosure. Here, under acondition that the information communication device 10 operates as thedata transmission source, the information communication device 20operates as the first data transmission destination, and the informationcommunication device 30 operates as the second data transmissiondestination, the flow of the processing for synchronizing the data 15will be described.

In step S301, the information communication device 10, which is the datatransmission source, determines whether or not the communication linkwith the information communication device 20 which is the first datatransmission destination and the communication link with the informationcommunication device 30, which is the second data transmissiondestination, are established.

In a case where a determination result in step S301 is positive, in stepS302, the information communication device 10 transmits the data 15 tothe information communication devices 20, 30, to synchronize the data 15between the information communication devices 10, 20, 30.

In a case where the determination result in step S301 is negative, instep S303, the information communication device 10 determines whether ornot the first communication link with the information communicationdevice 20 is established.

In a case where the determination result in step S303 is positive, instep S304, the information communication device 10 transmits the data 15to the information communication device 20, to synchronize the data 15between the information communication devices 10, 20.

In a case where the determination result in step S303 is negative, instep S305, the information communication device 10 transmits the data 15to the information communication device 30 to synchronize the data 15between the information communication devices 10, 30. In a case wherethe determination result in step S303 is negative, a case may also beassumed that the second communication link between the informationcommunication devices 10, 30 is temporarily lost; however, when thesecond communication link between the information communication devices10, 30 is established, the processing in step S305 is performed.

In step S306, the information communication device 30, which is thesecond data transmission destination, determines whether or not thethird communication link with the information communication device 20,which is the first data transmission destination, is established.

In a case where the determination result in step S306 is positive, instep S307, the information communication device 30 which is the seconddata transmission destination, taking the role of the data transmissionsource, transmits the data 15 to the information communication device20, which is the first data transmission destination, to synchronize thedata 15 between the information communication devices 20, 30. A case mayalso be assumed that the third communication link between theinformation communication devices 20, 30 is temporarily lost; however,when the third communication link between the information communicationdevices 20, 30 is established, the processing in step S307 is performed.Since the data 15 has already been synchronized between the informationcommunication devices 10, 30 (step S305), the data 15 is synchronizedbetween the information communication devices 10, 20, 30 through theprocessing in step S307.

In step S308, the information communication device 20, which is thefirst data transmission destination, determines whether or not the thirdcommunication link with the information communication device 30, whichis the second data transmission destination, is established.

In a case where the determination result in step S308 is positive, instep S309, the information communication device 20, which is the firstdata transmission destination, taking the role of the data transmissionsource, transmits the data 15 to the information communication device30, which is the second data transmission destination, to synchronizethe data 15 between the information communication devices 20, 30. A casemay also be assumed that the third communication link between theinformation communication devices 20, 30 is temporarily lost; however,when the third communication link between the information communicationdevices 20, 30 is established, the processing in step S309 is performed.Since the data 15 has already been synchronized between the informationcommunication devices 10, 20 (step S304), the data 15 is synchronizedbetween the information communication devices 10, 20, 30 through theprocessing in step S309.

As described above, with the communication system 100 of the embodiment,it is possible to realize a communication method useful for datasynchronization.

The embodiment described above is intended to facilitate understandingof the disclosure and is not intended to limit the disclosure in anyway. The disclosure can be changed or improved without departing fromits spirit and the disclosure also includes its equivalents. That is,those in which design modifications are appropriately made by thoseskilled in the art to the embodiment are also included in the scope ofthe disclosure as long as they have the features of the disclosure. Theelements included in the embodiment can be combined as far astechnically possible and combinations thereof are also included in thescope of the disclosure as long as they include the features of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication method in which an in-vehiclecommunication device transmits data to a server, the communicationmethod comprising: transmitting the data from the in-vehiclecommunication device to the server through a first communication linkwhen the first communication link between the in-vehicle communicationdevice and the server is established, transmitting the data from thein-vehicle communication device to a first device different from theserver through a second communication link different from the firstcommunication link when the first communication link is not established,notifying the first device through the second communication link thatthe first communication link is lost when the first communication linkis not established, determining whether the data received by the serverfrom the in-vehicle communication device includes data that has not beenreceived by the first device from the in-vehicle communication device,and transmitting the data that has not been received by the first devicefrom the server to the first device when the data that has not beenreceived by the first device is present and a third communication linkis established.
 2. The communication method according to claim 1,wherein the first device is a mobile communication terminal thatperforms mobile communication with the server.
 3. An in-vehiclecommunication device that transmits data to a server, the in-vehiclecommunication device comprising a transmission unit configured to:transmit the data to the server through a first communication link whenthe first communication link between the in-vehicle communication deviceand the server is established, transmit the data to a first devicedifferent from the server through a second communication link differentfrom the first communication link when the first communication link isnot established, notify the first device through the secondcommunication link that the first communication link is lost when thefirst communication link is not established, determine whether the datareceived by the server from the in-vehicle communication device includesdata that has not been received by the first device from the in-vehiclecommunication device, and transmit the data that has not been receivedby the first device from the server to the first device when the datathat has not been received by the first device is present and a thirdcommunication link is established.
 4. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process, theprocess comprising: transmitting data from an in-vehicle communicationdevice to a server through a first communication link when the firstcommunication link between the in-vehicle communication device and theserver is established, transmitting the data from the in-vehiclecommunication device to a first device different from the server througha second communication link different from the first communication linkwhen the first communication link is not established, notifying thefirst device through the second communication link that the firstcommunication link is lost when the first communication link is notestablished, determining whether the data received by the server fromthe in-vehicle communication device includes data that has not beenreceived by the first device from the in-vehicle communication device,and transmitting the data that has not been received by the first devicefrom the server to the first device when the data that has not beenreceived by the first device is present and a third communication linkis established.